Trust
by BalletGirl537
Summary: Sonic's carefree look on life and ability to forgive is taken to the limit when something he's cherished for so long is taken away.
1. Envy

"_Knuckles is a stubborn punk!...But even the best of friends bicker every now and then."_

A sunny, warm day at the alter of the Master Emerald. Knuckles stood with a frown and crossed arms as usual. He had a lot to think about when he was alone. Especially new fighting techniques, along with singing, a little rapping, and _why_ he was even forced to guard a giant glowing jewel.

_Such a great day and I have to be standing in the direct sunlight with this giant rock…_

Knuckles kept thinking to himself until the familiar sound thrilled his ears. A Sonic boom. A sonic boom that shook the ground and made the clouds conform to the moving wind. Even when his friend was out of sight, he still knew he was moving fast. The echidna thought back to their last bicker with remorse; he sighed a deep sigh.

"_All I'm just saying is that someday things are going to get out of hand Knuckles!"_

"_You're just looking for a way to say I'm gullible again!"_

"_You could say that, but I definitely didn't"_

"_But you ARE!"_

"_I didn't, you just did."_

That little quarrel lasted with sassy backtalk for over 20 minutes before Tails got scared and told them to knock it off. _Why must that blue boy say everything annoying before he actually says anything relevant?_

"KNUX! YO KNUX!" The spiky blue hedgehog called to him as he stopped straight in front of his face. Knuckles sighed again.

"Feelin' a little _slow_ Knux!" Sonic said in his usual snarky tone. He paced around the emerald, waiting for a response. There was none. Sonics short attention span led him to wonder if he could balance on top of the large Emerald, and so he tried.

"Don't even THINK about touching that master emerald!" Knuckles snapped. His patience with the speedster had worn rather thin as of late.

"Well you sure didn't say I couldn't! You ought to stop bein' such a recluse Knux! You don't get this many great days in autumn!" The Blue boy tempted. Sonics voice was getting to the guardian now. His fists were clenched tight while he listened to Sonics lightweight footsteps pace around the M.E.

"Look Sonic, I KIND of have a duty to fulfill. I'm pretty sure you've noticed that I'm forced to be here everyday. Come bother me when the world is ending or something!" The guardian ended in a very disciplinary yet respectful tone. He closed his eyes while he stood in front of the emerald. He heard sonic tap his foot, huff, and then speed of with the wind, over the hills and gone.

_Why must he be so carefree? Is it his speed? The way he can get away from anything and anyone? _Knuckles continued to think to himself, and sulk until the sun's rays turned the skies like the color of a vibrant golden poppy in full bloom.

In a dark, circular laboratory, with blackened walls and the smell of metallic flooring, plans were brewing. The large dome filled with life as computers clicked and beeped. The large man sat in his chair, observing the screens. Along with previous files of Sonic speeding along as he fought the scientist.

"The Master Emerald is the most prized possession of this planet. It is also the most prized possession of Knuckles the echidna. The blue rat won't be defeated unless we use something against him." Eggman began while wringing his hands.

"His speed, sir?" Orbot added in.

"We've used his speed against him before. And look where we've landed! We must use something he holds even closer to defeat our friend the hedgehog."

"You're not thinking to use his friends against him, are you?" The red robot questioned.

"Precisely my friend! Knuckles strength is off the charts according to data collected from previous confrontations. But it is even further off the charts when he is provoked and angered." Eggman almost sang.

"Surely you've thought this through your Excellency…" Cubot raised his voice out of the shadows.

"But I have my dear robot." Eggman chuckled softly as he cracked his own knuckles.

"We must steal the Master Emerald."


	2. A Storm Brews

_ This time, I've thought it through. This time, I won't slip up. This time, I won't over think. And THIS TIME, he will be defeated._

The dark laboratory buzzed with robots carrying this and that to here or there. The egg-shaped scientist only sat comfortably in his chair, watching with growing anticipation. He wasn't any more confident with this plan than any other. But something about not having that feeling made him know it was going to work. It was going to put that infernal rodent out of the way and perhaps even to rest. He could finally have _his _world. Eggmanland. Just then, a robot whizzed up to the mustachioed man with a report.

"**All plans and organizations have been carried out."** It technologically said out of a speaker conveniently placed where its mouth should be. Eggman smiled a wicked smile that made his mustache rise, and his spectacles lower.

"Prepare for operation, codename: de-ratification." He rose from his chair like a shadow elongating with the setting sun.

The aircraft that carried the evil doer and his villains tore through the skies. Its engines roared like thunder, yet were almost impossible to hear on land. The Master

Emerald was getting closer on the special radar implanted in the cockpit of the large aircraft.

"Master Emerald approaching. Begin phase one of the operation" Eggman demanded while tapping his fingers on one another. A seductive Bat figure moved in the shadows, into the back of the ship where she could be deployed.

"Anyone who gets in the way should be destroyed with extreme prejudice…" He said in such a sly voice, it didn't even sound like Eggman at all.

The bat figure soared in the late afternoon skies. Her wings carried her high in the wind, and low through the trees. This womanly figure was none other than the best girl for the job, Rouge the Bat.

"What's a Bat have to do to get some moonlight out here?" The bombshell complained to herself. She continued on, however, always volunteering into a mission that involved annoying that red echidna.

Meanwhile, so said red echidna was sitting, cross-legged by the Master Emerald. With his arms crossed, as usual. The peaceful wind was starting to relax him a bit then normal. It sent a chill up his spine as his dread buffeted from the breeze. It made him think a little of Sonic, and how he seemed to swiftly change direction as the wind did.

"Oh Knuckeeeees!" A smooth yet annoying voice called to him. He knew who it was. _That annoying little bat who thinks she can just fly in and fly out with my Master Emerald._

"What do you want bat-fink?" He questioned, trying to maintain his composure. Just like when Sonic had visited him, his patience was wearing thin.

"Oh I just thought I'd offer a little wager." She began, taking a few chaos emeralds out and into her hand.

"How about you just fly off and leave me-…" Knuckles stopped when he saw one red, one blue, and one grey chaos emerald in her hand. He had those with him didn't he? Unless she took them.

"I'll give you these chaos emeralds for something in return." She sang to him. Then she flew off, waving the shining jewels in her hand.

"Hey!" He yelled had her as she flew off. "Come back here! I'll pummel you!" He ran down the alter, and then gathered enough momentum to glide into the air. She laughed as she flew into the forest near by, dodging trees and branches.

"This is Rouge to Doctor. Faze one complete." She spoke into her small communicator. Nearby in the blue skies, Eggman smiled that wicked smile in his aircraft.

The angered guardian muttered to himself as he trudged back up the alter after obtaining the three emeralds from the spy.

"Stupid bat. How am I supposed to guard the emerald if…no…" He stood to an empty alter. The small terrace wiped clean of any Master Emerald. Just as he was about to go after Eggman, he found a small sticky note on the ground at his feet. It read,

_Dear Knuckles,_

_I.O.U. One Master Emerald. (And possibly one chili dog)_

_Sincerely, Sonic_

Knuckle's hands clenched, and soon became trembling fists. His face was redder than usual. _Why would Sonic just think he could borrow the most prized possession of my clan?_ Knuckles thought to himself. All that teasing and small quarrels he would just push aside, even though he regretted them. But this was taking it too far. This was _his_ most prized possession too. The Master Emerald was his life! This time Sonic would pay.

"I'm coming for you Sonic, and this time, you're going to pay!" The guardian took off once again, gliding past the grass and forest with speed. If only Knuckles knew that his anger would get the better of him and make him go too far…


	3. The Roll of Thunder

Over the hills and away from the alter of the Master Emerald, relaxed Sonic and his brother Tails under a tree. The two had been rather bored as of late. Eggman had been rather quiet and less annoyed with his nemesis's victory. But the two brothers new that there was another plan in store. This one stronger than the last. Tails looked over to his brother, who was currently resting with his hands behind his head.

"Sonic, I'm kind of getting a bad feeling about Eggman." He stuttered out.

"What do you mean? I _always_ beat the Eggster! Even if I have to almost _die_ doing it. You can count on me." Sonic said in his collected and reassuring tone. He didn't want to believe his best friend, but Tails was right. He also had the feeling that the next battle would become too personal for his usual butt kicking plans to work.

"Well, I t-think I'm gonna go take the Tornado for a spin. You coming?" Tails was eager to leave the premises as he waited for Sonics response.

"Eh, I'll catch up with ya!" That was all Sonic said before he nodded off again under the shady tree. And so the little kit took off on his propeller-like tails and away.

Knuckles stormed by the trunks of trees down low, and branches of the pines up high. His anger driving his aching lungs to go even faster. He couldn't even take the time to listen to his thoughts like he normally could. The chaos energy that emitted off Sonic guided the guardian onward as he glided closer, and closer, ever so closer.

"Sonic, I'm coming for you. You aren't going to be so "Sonic" anymore…" He spat through gritted teeth. It was time. Sonic was in sight. Now standing and tapping his foot as they both met eye to eye.

"What's got your dreads in a knot?" Sonic began, happy to see his friend.

"You know what's going on!" The guardian forced the little note in Sonics face. The blue speedster skimmed over the note quickly, rolled his eyes, and laughed.

"Wow Knuckles! You're still gullible!" He put his fist on his hip and smirked at the redder than usual echidna. Sonics last remark made the straw snap for Knuckles.

"If you think it's so great to steal something special of mine, let's see how you like losing something special of yours." His fists shook with anger as he clenched them ever so tight.

"Knuckles, you seriously need to chill-UGH!" Sonics speech was interrupted as knuckles socked him straight in the face, smacking back on a nearby oak tree. He held his head as he stood back up.

"So that's how you want it huh? Then fine, let's go!" Sonic put his fists up and sped towards Knuckles. But this time was different.

As Sonic threw a retaliation punch back at his bud, he was too slow and got his arm caught in the echidna's grip. Knuckles sent another punch to Sonics back, and then to the back of his knees. The hedgehog (who was currently caught off guard) tripped to the ground. Sonic flipped himself over to trip Knuckles down with him, who fell to the earth with a _thud_.

"You're not winning so easily" The angered treasure hunter growled. He hiked himself forward and smashed Sonic on the knee, shattering his kneecap. The blue boy slipped out a shortened scream, almost trying to swallow his pain in one big gulp. Seeking his opportunity, Knuckles struck Sonics other knee and the other one again, this time being pleased with a plea from his no-longer friend to 'cut it out already'.

"I'm not finished yet Sonic, _this_ is only the beginning!" Knuckles got up to his knees over Sonic, took his right hand, and slammed it over Sonics femur. Causing a loud crack and shatter. Sonic wailed in pain. What had he done? _Did_ he even steal the emerald? The echidna did the same for the other, and then back to the right, then the left, adding more and more force. Taking time to knee the poor hedgehog's shins, and add a few gashes down his thighs, also gaining some snapping sounds of his quads tearing apart. Sonic wailed and screamed at this point. Tears spilled down his cheeks. Sonic pounded his fist into the earth as Knuckles continued his punishment. The small communicator on his wrist was bumped on the side, causing the emergency signal to set off. The antagonized Knuckles noticed this, and grabbed Sonic tightly on the neck. Bringing him face to face with the destroyed hero.

"Oh! So now the hero needs help huh?" The guardian boomed with villainous laughter.

"Knuckles I…didn't…" The battered hedgehog struggled to speak as his friends grip grew stronger. He was thrown to the ground hard by knuckles finally, who stood and turned his back to him.

"No matter, I think I've proved my point. I don't EVER want to see you around here again. If you've got the nerve to try to visit, I'll just take that away too." The anger in the guardian's voice was still evident, as he took off gliding again. Leaving the mutilated hedgehog to fester in the mid day sun.

The echidna flew and flew as his anger started to burn off. His thoughts became easier to hear as the head in his face became lukewarm, and then cool again. _What did I just do anyway? Can't remember._ He dug deeper into his thoughts until he couldn't think anymore. The trees seemed to pass by him slower than when he flew by them before, like they were growing and staring at him. He became uneasy at the thought of being watched by plants. Just as he shuddered, the roll of thunder boomed through his mind. He had taken the very meaning of Sonics life. He had just mortally wounded his best friend… The tsunami of guilt drowned him in its power. He fell from gliding to his knees, and collapsed.


	4. Struggle

The sun beat down on the hedgehog, who fell in and out of consciousness. His vision blurred and he could hear his heart struggle to beat. He saw the tree in front of him, it wasn't a great place to heal, but at least there was shade. The victim stretched his hand out and gripped the dirt. He dragged himself forward as a jab of pain shot through his legs like a lightning bolt, and he shouted. He tried again, and the pain only got worse. Panting, he took a break and tried to compose himself. The agony in his pulverized legs set in and pulsated with every beat of his heart. He new he had to get himself under the tree. It was going to be hard. So he pressed on. Every pull, every drag, made him shout and cry in malady.

The propellers of the Tornado whizzed on as Tails pinpointed his brother's location on the radar in the biplane. Trembling fingers caused him to type wrong coordinates and other things in, so he had to erase multiple times.

_Why would Sonic send out an emergency signal? It couldn't have been an accident. I sure hope it was though._

Thoughts raced through the fox's mind as the speed of the plane increased. Like an eagle in flight, the wings bent back slightly to create more aerodynamic flight. His first thought was that his bro was toying with him. Or maybe Sonic wanted Tails home for a surprise or something. But then images of blood, seeing his friend in chains made him further increase the speed of the plane.

Pull, scream, pull, take a break, pull, cry, take another break, and pull some more. This pattern had been continuing for what was really five minutes, but seemed like days for the tormented blue.

_Just a little more, a little more. I can do this. Just a little further._

He further encouraged himself. But still with every yank, the flare up of agony came back even stronger; it laughed at him.

The radar bleeped out at Tails as he had finally reached the area that Sonics communicator had sent the signal. But where was his friend? He circled the area numerous times, but all he saw was a large tree, and a few bushes. The little fox cub double-taked at many bushes that, from the corner of his eye, looked like his friend. His eyes peered at the radar, it still was beeping and the screen read **"communicator located" **in red writing. Finally he decided to take a look from the ground. The little bluish purple plane landed beside the tree, and what he saw was horrifying.

It was his brother. The one that always came out of things without a scratch was completely battered and torn. His legs were bent in ways that weren't supposed to bend, and blood that poured from them, mixed with the blue color of his fur, made a liquidy purple looking mixture. A smeared trail of it was left behind him, and he appeared to be pulling himself on his stomach for some time, for the tips of his gloves were worn away.

"Sonic!" He shrieked as his feet sprinted to his brother's side. There was no response. He had collapsed after the tiresome struggle.

"Sonic, please! Speak to me! What happened?" The hysterical kit waved his hand in front of him, blew in his ears to see if they would twitch, but nothing. Years of Experience of helping Sonic rescue injured friends, told him to get him to a hospital for help.

"Don't worry Sonic. I won't let you end like this. You'll be safe with me." He promised to his brother, while lifting the injured's droopy body onto his own back. The speedster's weight wasn't much different than his own, so he had no problem lifting him up and into the back seat of the plane. There was no bandaging or first aid kit in the aircraft, Tails would just have to push the plane to its limit. The cub carefully laid his brother on his back in the backseat, and attempted to elevate his feet using a few books and manuals etc.

As the plane took off, Tails was determined this time. It was all him, no one else to help and encourage him along his journey. Just himself.

"Hang on Sonic. We'll get through this. I know we will."


	5. Everything's A Blur

In the deep, dark chasms of Eggman's aircraft…

"Phase two and three are complete Doctor. Everything is going according to plan." Said a smooth female voice. The doctor was sitting in his chair, a glass of champagne resting in his left palm. The villain's wicked grin sewed itself onto his cheeks.

"Wonderful. Begin phase four." He rose from his seat like a spring and marched his large feet to where the Master Emerald was held. The bat spy, slinking seductively, followed suit.

XXXXXXX

Everything was a blur for the pressured fox. His small aircraft screamed and huffed through the air as the fuel tank ran lower and lower. He was so close, it couldn't break down now. Just one more mile to go. The little pilot gazed back at his half-dead brother, still silent and unmoved.

XXXXXXXXX

The green jewel shined as Eggman walked up to it. He gazed at his reflection; the only thing he could see was he, a victorious man that looked back at him. He and his minions looked on at a large crane that plucked the M.E. from its metallic throne and through a trap door.

"Um, Doctor? Tell me exactly _why_ you're just giving the emerald back?" Rouge pointed at the traveling jewel.

"Patience my young minion. All will be answered in good time." He finished his glass of sparkling potion and urged Rouge on forward to the observation deck.

XXXXXXXXX

The hospital was piling over with ambulances and random people waiting to be taken in. But seeing as it was a young fox carrying his friend that was a hero, he would be taken in easy. So he thought. The little boy dodged moving tables and nurses carrying equipment from thermometers to defibrillators. His arms shook as he switched to carrying his friend bridal style. A male nurse had caught up with Tails and stopped him from almost getting run over by more wheels.

"Young man please! Calm down!" He said as he caught his breath.

"Oh thank goodness! Please you have to help my friend! He's dying!" Tails exaggerated. But when you find your best friend under a tree and completely battered, you might just say anything! The man stroked his small soul-patch on his chin.

"I'll do what I can!" After that he yelled for several more doctors and nurses to help him get the sickened hedgehog to a bed and off to the E.R. Tails followed suit, ignoring anyone who told him to wait outside.

XXXXXXXXX

"You see Rouge, having time while Sonic got his comeuppance; I was able to tap into the Master Emerald's infinite power. And since it has limitless power, I sucked out all that I needed, and then some, to power my new weapons. So if I get any unwanted visitors, I'll have enough power to fight them off 500 times! Or more…" He laughed his evil, fat man laugh and threw his arms up into the air. Rouge only stood and watched. She had nothing better to do, so she might as well watch as Eggman's plans continued.

Knuckles was practically dragging himself back to the alter. His feet trudged as new weight kept being added to his shoulders. The climb up the stairs was harder than usual, his legs burned when he was barely half way up. Minutes later, to the top of the alter; he stood in front of the emerald as he normally did. The Master Emerald? It had been returned! The guardian spun around to get a good look at it. It wasn't fake. Sonic couldn't have returned it… And Tails had no way of returning such a heavy jewel. But then, it felt like he'd been his with Amy's hammer. This time he was two stupid to realize;

"Eggman."

XXXXXXXXXXX

The poor, still hysterical fox paced back and fourth just outside the room they wheeled his brother into. A nurse was out with him the whole time attempting to calm Tails, but to no avail. The red light that shined over the door had been on for over 3 hours now, and with every minute passing, his anxiety took more of his hope away. Hour 3.

Voices of the surgeon and multiple nurses up- rose in yells and arguments what seemed like every ten minutes or so. And what scared him most was when he heard the doctor yell "CLEAR!" about 20 minutes ago. Hour 4. Still arguments and frantic callings for new tools came muffled through the door. And still he paced on his aching feet, ignoring the nurse that started pacing with him and patting his shoulder. Hour 5, midnight.

The red light suddenly blinked off. Tails froze in his steps and watched the door as it slowly creaked open and the smell of antiseptic rolled out. The doctor walked out with a sigh of relief and a look of accomplishment.

"Doctor! How is he? Please tell me he's going to be alright!" He pretty much yelled it in the surgeons face as he kneeled to the fox's height. He hushed him before he started.

"He's just fine now. It took a lot of work; we didn't even know where to start! His legs had been pretty much shattered and when muscles are torn apart you can only do so much. He's alive and well, but he won't be using his legs for much of anything anymore." The words sunk into Tails as the doctor patted his shoulder. He sighed.

"Can I see him?" Was his only reply. The surgeon and the nurse gestured him inside. About 6 other nurses were finishing cleaning up and courteously left through a back door.

"He'll be asleep for some time considering the stuff we gave him. But feel free to stay as long as you like" The doctor finished and left the room quietly.

Tails took a seat on a comfortable chair beside his brother. Who was hooked up to numerous things. 2 blood transfusions were taking place, some type of drip with clear liquid, heart and brain wave monitors, and oxygen tubes set under his nose. Bandages were already staining with blood over his gashes, and interesting looking leg braces went down from his hips to his ankles. Even with all of this connected to him, he seemed peaceful.

"Oh Sonic." Tails whispered as he rubbed Sonics head. "Everything's okay. You're with me now. And I _promise_ I'll find out who did this to you." The fox kit took Sonics hand and laced fingers with it, and could only hope to see his brother's shining green eyes again.


	6. Breathe Me

The first thing he heard was faint beeping. Faint beeping like a person who was in a hospital on their death bed. He then heard air, air that flowed steadily through a tube. He attempted to move. His head budged. Feeling then started to tingle its way through his upper body; His left hand, and then his right hand. He felt something in his right hand. Something tight and small. He attempted to squeeze it, nothing happened. He tried again, and felt his grip grow stronger.

Tails felt Sonics hand tighten to his own. He swiveled around so fast that for a moment he was a little disoriented. The patient's ears slowly rose back up to their normal erect stance. Sonic turned his head to the side, and slowly his eyelids rose up, blinking multiple times to adjust to the sudden brightness of the all white room. Tails sat patient, and waited to see his brother's eyes. After examining his surroundings, the hedgehog's emerald eyes met with blue topaz ones, the hedgehog smiled a weak smile.

"You're awake!" Tails exclaimed softly "How do you feel?" He questioned, patting Sonics hand. Sonic adjusted himself a little.

"I'm alright. I feel funny." He weakly said. Tails aided Sonic to sit up a little more so he could wake up. The hero's ears stood up even more and swiveled back and fourth, catching new sounds as his eyes saw new sights.

"I'm in a hospital aren't I?" He questioned as an annoying look plastered his face. Tails could only nod. Sonic held his head for a moment before asking,

"Tails, what happened?" sadness grew on the fox's face as Sonic looked on in curiosity.

"Try to remember Sonic, I only know so much." His grip on his brother's hand grew tighter. The blue one thought hard for a long moment. He rubbed his forehead in hope that it would activate more memory. The suddenly, it all came back.

Images of an angered being slashing through his body. Evil sayings and sounds of crackling bone. Sonic cringed and gripped his brother's hand with both.

"Okay, I remember now. Now will you tell me the extent of it?" Sonic asked trying to push the memories that flashed in his mind away. Tails took a deep breath, and decided to say everything.

"Sonic, I found you after you sent out an emergency signal from your transmitter. You were under a tree totally battered. I got you to the hospital just in time." The fox hoped that his avoidance of describing what he saw in detail would pass over Sonics head.

"Define 'totally battered'". He asked as Tails cringed on the question. He took another deep breath.

"Well… your legs had been completely shattered and torn up to a point that the doctors could only do so much. I'm sorry Sonic." The kit tried to hold in his tears and appear strong to the hedgehog whose spirit would soon be broken.

"When will I be able to run again?" He asked. The question hung in the air. Tails opened his mouth but no words came out, just a simple _ark_. Finally he mustered up every ounce of strength.

"You won't Sonic. Your legs are… demobilized." Sonic processed his brother's sad words. His heart had sunk, but in another way it also tried to find a brighter side of the situation. Frustrated that he couldn't find anything positive to say, he rested his head on his hand, where his elbow was resting on the edge of the bed, and sighed. There was a silence so loud it hurt Tails's ears. Tails stood up and tried to boost both of their spirits.

"There _should_ be a place where I can get us something to eat. Do you want anything?" Tails asked as he opened the curtains to let light in.

"I think I… I-I think I just want to be alone for a bit Tails." His words were hoarse and gruff. It hurt the kit to no end to leave the room as Sonic gazed out the window, but he new it was for the best.

After the door closed, Sonic decided to see the worst of his damages. He lifted the multiple white blankets and stared down his "demobilized" legs. There were robotic looking black braces going down his legs, along with a joint at the knee area for _some_ free movement. Stitches were set here and there on his thighs, and bandages wrapped around parts of his legs were stained with dry blood. Sonic breathed deep breaths as he processed this information. He attempted to hug his legs close to him, but was flushed with a wave of pain. Frustrated, he punched the bed, turned to his side so he was facing the window with arms crossed, and cried silent tears.


	7. Baby Steps

The small ball of blue fur and quills unraveled itself on the bed. Having calmed himself, he sat up straight again in case more visitors arrived. Even though from the look of his flushed face, and bloodshot eyes with bags under them, anyone would be able to tell he must have sobbed at one point. Since Sonic was a person who never cried, even a little tear-shed was easily noticeable. A quiet knock was heard on the door that when the door creaked, Sonic jumped in surprise.

"I see we've woken up now!" But the doctor wasn't as familiar as the other one. And he didn't look too interested in checking up on Sonic either. Instead, he went through a cabinet with different bottles of substances like Magnesium and Sodium.

"I'm a physician. My name is doctor Polara. I'll be back for you real soon!" Sonic nodded, still apprehensive on the man's random appearance in his room. The room was quiet again once the 'physician' left. There was nothing to do really when no one was there. All he did for the next hour was look out the window at a mother bird's nest as she flew away for food, and then come back to set it into her babies awaiting mouths.

Meanwhile in the small food pavilion, a young fox sat at a table sipping from a paper cup of apple juice. He didn't bother talking to anyone, or smiling when someone passed and said 'Hello'. There was something holding him back. He could feel Sonics pain, it was always there with him even when he was all the way across the hospital.

"Excuse me, are you Miles Prower?" said a giddy voice from behind. Tails didn't answer. He nodded, but sent off body language that said he didn't want to be bothered. The lady behind the question walked away disappointed and slightly offended. Soon, the feeling of being away from his brother was too much, and he walked rather quickly in the direction of his room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sleepless nights had taken over the guardian echidna. Every time his eyelids rested voices in his head mocked him, scolded him. He was guilty, too guilty. Sometimes he just wanted to throw up his guilt like he could food. What would he do? Sonic was most likely at a hospital by now. That or they couldn't save him in time. The scared red pushed away that idea into the shadows. Maybe he should visit him? That would earn him a lot of trouble. His insomniac mind finally stopped his arguing thoughts and told him to wait. He would most likely come to him.

"How do you feel now Sonic?" Tails asked as he sat down on a comfy chair by the bed. Sonic shrugged and forced a smile on his face.

"Well I'm alive aren't I?" His answer came out a little harsher than he'd meant it to sound. He disliked seeing the saddened look on Tails's face.

"I'm sorry…" The fox's ears lowered.

"Sorry for what?" Sonic asked while grabbing his brother's hand. Just then the same physician [whose knock went un-noticed] walked straight in.

"I see we've got you both still in here! Did your friend tell you everything?" He asked while jotting down things on a clipboard. Sonics lip quivered and he nodded weakly. Tails noticed this and shot the physician a look filled with daggers. The physician took a step back with his hands in a defensive position, and then walked over and booted up a nearby computer.

"Now then, I'm going to run a few tests to see how the healing is going. If the tests go accordingly, you might be released extremely soon!" he said with a smile on his face. He approached the bed and began removing his leg braces.

"Let's get you situated here." The physician took out a small wrench and cranked a few places until both braces grew loose enough for him to take off. He then took hold of Sonic and sat him on the side edge of the bed.

"Okay to start with, can you click your heels and toes together?" Sonic did so with ease. The physician seemed pleased and circled something on his clipboard. He took out a small rubber hammer looking device and tapped it on Sonics knees. There was a much smaller reaction then there should have been. The doctor wrote something this time and muttered to himself. After that he took his gloved hands and examined the hedgehog's kneecaps in which Sonic winced and Tails grew more anxious for it to end.

"Tell me how far you can go." He said in a serious tone and grabbed Sonics right leg, straightened it, and bended it slowly toward Sonics chest. About three inches in Sonic yelped and told him to stop rather frantically. Dr. Polara did the same thing for his left leg, this time there was a large popping sound heard from Sonics kneecap and he yelped once more for him to stop.

"Low flexibility…" the physician muttered. "Tell me when it's too much pressure" He placed one hand on each of the hedgehog's thighs and began to press down.

"OW! Please just cut it out already!" The doctor barely added any weight before his patient screamed. He took his hands off and sat down at the computer and began filling in a table. Sonic held his legs as they throbbed from so much probing and pushing and testing. About five long minutes later, Dr. Polara walked back to them with a bright face.

"Well, everything is going very well. The levels of lactic acid in your muscles have skyrocketed, but with a little draining and medicine you should be good to go!" Sonic gulped at one word.

"Draining?" A frog grew in his throat. It was bad enough that a random man was causing him more pain, but now they were going to _drain_ his legs of some kind of _acid_?

"It shouldn't hurt nearly as much as you think! I'll get the tools we need so we can get it over with right away!" He chuckled at both boys's expressions.

"Well doctor, your plan has worked." Said a female voice. A dark, rather fat shadow appeared from his usual chair.

"Right you are my dear Rouge. And now, I can complete my work in peace." The villainous man, known around as Eggman, acknowledged Rouge and handed her a sack of loot. Her eyes beamed.

"For you. I couldn't have done this without your help."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tails and a nurse struggled to keep Sonic calm as he squirmed and kept questioning them on what the heck was going on. The surgeon that had saved his legs before was now preparing a rather large needle connected to a syringe. Sonic noticed the large needle and trembled.

"What's the needle for? Common can't you put me to sleep first?" He struggled and seeked Tails's hand for reassurance. Over walked the doctor with a sterilized pad and wiped down Sonics right thigh.

"It'll be over in five minutes and I promise it won't be as bad as what bad ole Polara put you through." The surgeon winked, which made his small mouth covering mask twitch up and down.

"Now close your eyes. It'll be fine." The surgeon said once again. Sonic huffed, and then did as he was told and squeezed them shut. The man quickly pushed the nail sized needle into the awaiting sterilized thigh, and was hit by a high pitched squeal by Sonic.

"Sorry! He's a hedgehog, its normal!" Tails said covering his brother's mouth a little nervously. The surgeon shrugged and continued as his patient screamed and whimpered at the process.

Ten minutes of eardrum tearing squeals and 30 minutes of recovery later…

"See it wasn't so bad!" Tails comforted Sonic.

"Yeah, if you don't mind nail sized needles sucking stuff out of your leg! Then I guess it was Peachy!" Sonic said sarcastically. They both laughed for a moment. Tails beamed, it was great to see his brother smile a real smile again. Sonic then turned to the doctor who was organizing tools in a drawer.

"So, can I get up and walk now! I think I'm ready!" He bounced in his bed, awaiting the surgeon's answer. He stood up, stretched his arms, and smiled.

"I think you're ready for a try!" He motioned for Tails to come over, and he handed a leg brace to him.  
>"Here! You're good with mechanics right? Give it a go!" The surgeon had already started lifting Sonics left leg into the brace. The kit thought for a moment, examined the brace, and copied the man on the other side of the bed. There was a moment of silence, other than the sound of cranking wrenches and such, but in under a minute they both finished. Sonic smiled and scooted himself to the edge of the bed again.<p>

"Whoa there boy!" the surgeon placed a hand in front of Sonic "You might need these." The surgeon pulled some interesting looking crutches from a nearby closet. They were metal bars a usual, but had two bands that went around his wrists and a small bar to clutch on to on the end. When they were put on him, Sonic seemed a little offended.

"Just give them a try Sonic." Tails pleaded. He placed a hand behind Sonic and helped him up for the first time in two days. The hedgehog's legs stood pigeon toed, but he stood on his own (with help from the crutches of course).

"Wonderful!" The doctor beamed, sonic acknowledged him with a nod. Then his cocky smile that Tails had missed for so long crept back on his face.

"Humph! Too easy!" He said as he began hobbling to the door. It was extremely painful to have all of his weight pushing down on his legs, but he wanted to show good spirit to his brother. The demented progress across the large room went well as the pigeon toed hedgehog never lost his footing. But right before the door, his legs finally gave out and he fell forward into the arms of the awaiting Doctor and Tails. Even though he was put back into his bed, he smiled a bright smile. He had accomplished what he had needed in order to feel a little more freedom. Progress.


	8. Sensible Information

The rest of the day went surprisingly easy. In fact, too surprising. The fact that Sonic was so compliant with the nurses and doctors connecting new IV's to him and doing all sorts of things to him made the fur on Tails's tails tingle. He was resting in his bed with a few fidgets here and there, but nothing like what the fox boy had expected. Was it the morphine? Or maybe he was broken. Or both… In the midst of Tails's thoughts he heard Sonic mention something about getting a drink. This made all of the little one's thoughts run away into the shadows of his developed mind.

"Oh, are you thirsty Sonic?" Tails asked while grabbing his brothers' hand. Sonic only touched his tongue to the roof of his mouth a few times, and shook his head.

"Nah not really. But how about we go outside for a bit. I haven't breathed real air in forever!" The hedgehog patient laughed a weak laugh.

"Oh sure! As long as we go qui-…" He stopped himself before he said anything about speed or quickness. After his awkward stop in the sentence the fox got up to fetch a childrens wheelchair (to accommodate for Sonic's size) from the opposite side of the room. But the blue one had other ideas. When Tails opened up the chair he heard the click of his brother's special crutches. The injured was already heading for the door!

"Whoa there Sonic!" The fox began running and grabbing his brother's arm. "I have a wheelchair for you." But Sonic was shaking his head.

"I can make it Tails you know I can."

"But…" Tails couldn't find a reason to stop him so he took a few steps back to the door frame.

"If you can make it here okay, then we can go without the chair." He waged to his friend. In which Sonic gripped his special crutches, examined the braces on his legs, and hobble forward. The first few steps were crooked, but he finally got into a rhythm. It was almost like a toddler first learning to walk. A few missteps here and there, but they could still walk. After a bit of time Sonic was face to face with Tails with a smug look on his face. Tails nodded, and walked extremely close to his brother down the hallway. The two brothers got a few looks of pity from others waiting to be taken in. They were extremely close to the door when Sonic took a tumble and went crashing to the floor. It was only a matter of seconds before nurses that seemed to pop out of everywhere were on the fallen one and trying to help him up. The younger couldn't tell if he was feeling jealousy or just plain anger at all of the nurses who were pretty much freaking out on the whole situation. They had sat him up straight when Tails caught the look on his brother's face, which has sheer embarrassment. Sonic wasn't the type to just fall flat on the ground and need help up.

"Seriously guys I'm fine! Could I get a little space?" His pleas weren't answered. A familiar nurse picked him up like a child and walked back towards his room. Sonic looked back at Tails, wishing he could throw a fit like he normally did if he was picked up. His younger bro only looked back and couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

_So close but so far away_ He thought to himself as he followed the nurse.

After being plopped back onto his bed in the oh-so familiar room, both boys sighed simultaneously. Tails sank into a chair and stared at a rather disturbing "Signs of a Stroke" poster plastered on the north wall.

"You're gonna be one arduous case Sonic." The fox boy complained.

"Buddy, you know I don't understand big words." Sonic joked, feigning his happiness.

"Arduous: demanding great care." Tails said in a lecturing tone. Both giggled at the way Tails stood aloof when defining his own vocabulary. Once again, just as a good moment was about to be made, the physician blasted through the door and startled them both. He seemed very happy, which made Sonic and Tails both happy; this man was the harbinger of Sonic's future.

"Well I've got great news!" He started, both boys leaned in. "Looks like Sonic'll be going home today!" Sonic cheered with his fist in the air, but Tails was a little more apprehensive.

"What's the catch?" He questioned. The physician looked up from his clip board.

"As long as he cooperates with the last few tests he'll be free as a bird!" Tails looked at Sonic, who looked at Tails, who then looked back at the physician. Everyone nodded.

"Well then I'll need you out in the waiting room." Without question the fox boy complied and left, he'd become quite familiar with finding his way to and from the waiting room.

Back in the hospital room the nurses and physicians were hard at work, scurrying about and muttering different hospital terms that Sonic couldn't understand. His eyes were fixed on the physician he'd come to know, who was examining x-rays with another nurse. Their faces looked grim. With eyes locked on the man on the far side of the room he didn't notice that a nurse had hooked him up to a high dosage of morphine. Slowly, ever so slowly his eyelids became more and more heavy, and he swayed back and forth until a nurse in purple garb caught him and lowered him back onto the bed. Out cold.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He woke up turned on his side, facing the door. A small stream of red that floated down from a tube and into his right hip became more and more clear. In and out he fell from consciousness. With more and more feeling coming back, he heard a nurse attempting to wake him and caressing his head. He sat up unexpectedly, his defense mechanism was trying to get him alert while his brain wanted to go back to sleep and enjoy the morphine. The defensive side of him won. The sight of his own legs got bigger and smaller as he swayed forward and back. He felt like vomiting.

"_How is he nurse?_" A voice came from nowhere.

"_He should be fine, just let me sit the back of his bed up, he'll come too eventually._" Another voice rang into his ear extremely muffled. The feeling of soft lushness met his back; the bed being raised by the nurse.

"Maybe you gave him too much morphine?" Tails complained to the nurse. She shrugged,

"It's possible, but everyone reacts to morphine differently, but the dosing has stopped so the effects could last from ten minutes up to a few hours." Both watched Sonic as his eyes trailed off and drool ran down his muzzle.

"I'm not liking this…" Tails said taking a tissue and wiping his blue friend's mouth.

"Don't worry, just talk to him and he'll come too." She consoled him. Swiftly she moved to the door and out, the physician (who we'll refer to again as Dr. Polara) switched places with her through the door.

"Mr. Prower, can I speak with you?" He said with his hands folded in front of him. He watched the fox nod and reluctantly part hands from his counterpart.

"It's about Sonic isn't it?" The fox boy questioned. Dr. Polara nodded, and began.

"Your friend here is an amazing healer. He's almost a miracle considering the state he was in when brought here. But with serious pelvic injuries and quadricep tears comes great risk. He could have hurt a nerve in his legs that may cut off feeling, and pelvic injuries can be fatal. There's a large risk that he could wake up paralyzed from moving the wrong way, or get a serious infection." Polara stopped there so he wouldn't overwhelm the child.

"Go on, please." Tails waved his hand at the doctor.

"Well, considering how active he seems to be, we have these sedatives that can keep him stable for a while until he can walk. These injuries, though, would have a healing time of over two months. And it's bad for the body to do nothing but sleep for months on end. So we suggest you talk with Sonic when he wakes up fully to let him know about the healing process. We have physical therapy appointments already prepared-"

"Thanks for the info doctor." Tails interrupted him. He swiped the orange jar of sedatives from Polara's awaiting hand.

"I'll be back with other prescriptions later…" Polara said uneasily.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tails routinely cleaned Sonic's mouth of the copious drool that ran freely. He was understanding Tails's speech fine, able to respond with a yes or a no, or a thumbs up. But his _own_ speech was completely random. He mentioned something about a mushroom, another time a pumpkin, and then a monkey. Nothing logical came from the blue hero's mouth, so Tails continued to do the talking.

"Oh Sonic," he began "I just hope you won't break when reality comes back to you…" Tails whispered with a shaky voice. "I don't wanna have to say goodbye." Tears ran down his cheeks and tingled his whiskers. The room was quiet again.


	9. Repentance

Silence. Silent wind. Eyes fixing on nothing but the swaying grass far below the altar. Faint waters splashed down the island and sprayed the body of water. The silent wind kissed his dreads. He was curled up in a ball, sitting on the edge of the altar, fighting the horrible images that plagued every crevice of his mind. He was normally so strong, so why couldn't he fight these memories. The conscience that he normally ignored and listened to his fists instead. His fists, those fists that told him to ruin the life of his best friend. To take away what he was living for. Just then, a stinging feeling took over his hands. He couldn't bear to have them connected to his body. The hands of a killer.

The red ball unraveled and stretched his muscles that flexed when woken up. Deep purple orbs swerved down and gazed at his hands, which were open. There was still one small reddish-brown stain on his thumb… This was where he was stuck. He knew he had to confront this pain. An apology was definitely in order, but an apology was completely inferior to this situation. How could he just go up to his best friend and say "I'm sorry". He could just imagine everything happing perfectly.

"_Sonic, I can't tell you how sorry I am about this." He began quietly. Sonic turned away so his back faced knuckles, and the wind blew his quills forward. He said nothing_.

His mind hurt. No, it was numb. It was almost both. The red guardian rubbed his temples to console himself, to stop the terrible flashes from shocking his mind. But more and more imaginations of what was happening to his friend right now just wouldn't go away.

_ A group of doctors took Sonic by surprise, poignantly pinning him down on his stomach. He struggled with all his might to be set free. A stabbing feeling shot through his back as a lady extracted spinal fluid very forcefully._

"_Please stop you're hurting me!" Sonic cried in anguish. The nurse yanked the syringe out and they all left him where he was on the bed. The poor hedgehog sobbed._

"I can't take this anymore!" Knuckles cried to the skies. "I need help…" He whispered at the peaceful clouds that drifted by. The guardian wished for aid from the gods. It seemed as though they were they only ones who could give him the best advice. That only _they_ could prophesy his future. He hung limp. Gave up on trying to fight the terrible flashes in his mind and let them flow free. If he was going to get any visions from ancestors or the gods, it would be if his mind was at peace. And, after a minute of giving up, the decision to keep his past misdeeds esoteric was made. No one would know about what happened between him and Sonic until they figured it out themselves. At least, from him. Tails and Sonic may have other ideas.

"Sonic." A soft voice began, "Do you remember…?" The young fox boy finished awkwardly. Sonic readjusted himself in the hospital bed.

"Who did this to you?" Tails finished what he'd started. Sonic blinked slowly, and turned his head to the window.


	10. Uncover the Secrets

_"Who did this to you?"_

Sonic's heart beat a million times a minute. Telling Tails how all of this happened would be like fighting 10 Metal Sonics-extremely difficult to impossible. He swore that his heart was breaking the silence in the room. The window brought no courage to him that he was seeking. Only fresh air and sunlight.

"Please Sonic, remember." Tails pleaded as he grasped Sonic's hand. For the first time in days his brain worked to its full capacity when the memories came rolling back like thunder. His muscles were stretched taut on the bed, he was frozen. It was like scratching at the pictures in his mind, sharp and painful.

"Tails I…" Sonic weakly began.

"You can trust me Sonic." Tails squeezed Sonic's hand harder.

"It was Knuckles…" he said with a dead voice. Tails retracted from Sonic, breaking the bond of their hands. Was he hearing correctly? In _his_ mind Knuckles was a gentle giant-unless provoked-and wouldn't hurt the ones he befriended.

"Knuckles?" The fox asked, his friend cringed at his remark. "Tell me more."

"I-I, well, h-he." Sonic sighed at his stuttering speech. Things were about to get a lot harder from here on. He felt the tight grasp of his friends hand again.

"Well all I know is I was hangin' around, and Knuckles showed up… and he was really mad." He trembled a little "And he just started a fight…I've never seen him so angry before." His eyes found their way back to the window for comfort. Like he was ever going to get any from there though. When things went silent again, the sound of soft sobs crawled into the hedgehog's ears.

"Why?" the small fox began with tears "I don't get it, Knuckles wouldn't do that!" His speech was garbled by his own sobs. The younger felt a hand on his shoulder and the grasp of Sonic's hand grow tight again.

"Don't cry about it. Please. This is a major bump in the road, but I'm still alive and well." His voice was soft and comforting.

"Sure. For now I guess." Tails retorted brusquely. This surprised Sonic.

"Don't say that buddy! Something like this? Nah it ain't gonna kill me. Don't cry." He stated rubbing under his nose. Tears weren't his favorite thing in the world. Especially when they soaked the face of his closest friend-his brother.

"Well I guess I have some things to take care of." Tails began standing up from his chair, only to be yanked back down.

"Don't intervene on this Tails! This is between me and Knuckles right now." His voice went from soft and comforting to stern in an instant.

"Well what do you expect me to do, wait here and do nothing?" Tails shouted in frustration.

"Yes!" Sonic raised his voice. He wasn't the one to yell, but when he did, his fox friend went silent.

"What?" The little fox asked in confusion.

"I want you to stay on the sidelines this time. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you got hurt too. It's best if _I_ take care of this alone." Tails listened and sat back in his chair.

"I just think that now is the time I have to decide my own fate." Sonic rested his other hand on their grasp in reassurance.

"Sonic," Tails looked over to Sonic from his recent gaze at the floor, "I need to ask you something else."

"Sure buddy." Sonic said with a little chuckle

"Are you going to forgive him?" This question made him freeze up again.

"Well I…I don't know Tails." He stuttered out. One part of him greatly wanted to just move on from this and go back to living his life. But the other half kept reminding him of what was done, that he never would be _able_ to live his life the same way again.

"I-Is there anything I could get you?" Tails quickly changed the subject. His bro shrugged.

"Not really, well you could get me a glass of water." He pointed to a cup that was placed by a sink across the room. The fox quickly complied and rushed over and filled the glass up to the brim. But he then slipped out the container of sedatives Dr. Polara had given him.

_It's for your own good Sonic._

He thought as the pill fizzed and dissolved into the water. With quick steps the cup was brought over to Sonic who gulped down every last drop. For the next few minutes they both just spoke random nothings to each other until the hedgehog before him slipped back under the sheets into a deep slumber.

Deep in the caverns of a metallic laboratory. The large, very large doctor reclined in his chair with a glass of champagne. He could finally have some peace now that his blue rival was defeated. No more countless days planning his next ideas. He could finally just sit back and watch his plans finally unfold. Eggmanland could finally be built. Finally he could sit and discuss with his minions how he wanted his new world to go. For once, the bad guys were finishing first.

"Oh Ivo, you've outdone yourself this time!" He congratulated himself with a toast in the air. Orbot rolled over from the shadows where it was listening.

"Um, sir, you should realize that Sonic has friends that will surely be after you soon." He was startled when Eggman swung around in his chair.

"Don't ruin my moment!" The doctor yelled, but calmed himself into a progressing chuckle.

"A minor setback. But that won't stop my prowess dear Orbot, it won't stop my prowess." The chair that held Eggman swiveled back around slowly to face a large screen. The silhouette of his hand holding the tall bubbling glass growing off of the chair.


	11. The beginning

He felt a lot more comfortable than when he fell asleep. The sheets were a lot softer and his pillow less squishy. Slowly his eyes opened, and he saw the lumps of his feet under a lavender colored blanked. The lumps he looked at circled with his dizziness. The lighting in the room was different too, a lot less white and much more yellow and brown. Slowly the sleepy hedgehog worked himself up into a sitting position. He moaned slightly when his muscles woke up.

"Where am I?" He asked quietly. Once his vision cleared up, the room became all so familiar. Wooden walls that held scenic pictures of flowers and various areas. A window was above him that let peaceful afternoon sunlight in. His head swiveled to the left, where a door was spotted across the small room, and to his right, a vase holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers colored like the rainbow. A tag was attached to the vase and with close inspection had a picture of his friend Cream and her mother Vanilla; there were words under the picture that read '_Get well Sonic! Love always, Cream and Vanilla.'_ A smile crept on to his lips. It was good to know he was in a familiar place now. But, just how did he get here? The question was tossed to the side when he spotted a tall glass of water placed beside the vase. The weary hedgehog reached over and once again gulped the whole glass down, _and_ once again slipped back into a deep sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXX

About an hour later his eyes sprung open. Had he just fallen asleep again? He was on his side and saw that the glass of water was filled to the top again. Without a second thought he decided that the water he was drinking was obviously drugged. Once sat up again he stretched his arms upward towards the ceiling.

"Awake again I see?" A sudden voice said. Sonic jumped and held his chest for a moment. With a turn of his head to the right he saw that it was Tails along with Vanilla standing by the bed.

"How are you feeling?" Tails asked, seeming much calmer and more at ease than before.

"Better, in fact, much better." The hero responded with his signature smile.

"Well, maybe you should sleep just a little more." Vanilla suggested.

"No thanks. I'm tired of sleeping." Sonic responded shifting closer to the edge of the bed.

"I could use some fresh air, a little help?" He made a gesture towards his legs. Both Tails and Vanilla were very surprised at Sonic. The fox boy shrugged and made a motion towards his blanket.

"Oh, and by the way Tails, I know you slipped sleeping pills into my water." Sonic winked at is brother who laughed in return, a little embarrassed. Tails proceeded to get the leg braces when they were snatched from his hands.

"Just hand the stuff over, I can do this myself." Sonic ordered in an exacting tone. The fox put up his hands in a defensive position and mouthed a 'sorry'.

"My dear…" Vanilla whispered covering her mouth at the sight of bandaged thighs and stitched up knees.

"Hey, I'm fine!" Vanilla came out of her trance when the hedgehog that was now standing assuaged her and gave her a wink. She began remaking the bed as the young fox led the clambering 'hog out of the bedroom.

"I'm surprised Sonic." Tails began while keeping an eye on his brother that was slightly behind him.

"At what? I'm a fast healer I thought you knew that!" Both of them laughed a bit down the hallway and out the door.

"Mr. Sonic!" A small girl's voice shrieked and out of nowhere a tight embrace was felt around Sonic.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" It was no other than Cream the rabbit that sobbed into the hedgehog's torso.

"Hey Cream…" Sonic began, prying the small rabbit off of him. He whispered a familiar comforting thought into her ear and she automatically cheered up.

"I'll pick you more flowers if you'd like!" She offered holding up a woven basket.

"That'd be great!" The blue hero gave her a thumbs up in return and continued his walk along a trail with Tails. Once again the two brothers talked about random nothings for some time until the house was very distant on the horizon. The fox looked back.

"Wow I can't believe how far we've gone!" He exclaimed. Sonic scoffed.

"We could go farther if I didn't have these on!" The hedgehog lifted his hands that brought the crutches with him. Then he began removing them and pushed them up to his friend.

"Hey Sonic wait!" Tails reached a hand out to him but he was already half-hazardly walking forward.

"See Tails, I already-" His sentence was interrupted by him loosing his footing and tumbling down like a rag doll. But it didn't stop him. He was helping himself up like a toddler learning to stand in a matter of seconds. Sonic wasn't the type to constantly need help like this; he wanted to do this on his own. It was rather disquieting to walk with Sonic when he was currently in this state, but it amazed him too. Only a few hours ago he was relying on his crutches completely. Both enjoyed the slight breeze that kissed their faces. Until Tails opened his eyes again and froze. Sonic kept walking until he realized the footsteps of his friend were ceased.

"What's up buddy?" The hedgehog asked. His brother didn't respond, but his gaze was blank and looking forward. He followed Tails' gaze until he was face to face with him. About fifteen feet away, was his friendly-rival. The culprit to all of his problems. The one he wanted to confront on his own. The wind blew on their fur. _And that's where the beginning of the end begun._


	12. No turning back

BalletGirl537: Wooooo intense storyyyy! Thanks to all of the people that review this story! It inspires me to keep on writing! Sorry if I get ahead of myself, I'm just so excited to write this. (That and it's a little hard to picture Sonic and co. in a stressful/depressing situation. Anyway enjoy everyone! *This isn't the last chapter by the way! ;)*

_ ~And that's where the beginning of the end begun. Everybody knew that we had too much fun. ~_

Everything was surreal. The birds seemed to stop chirping. The thin clouds up above seemed to gather together and hide the sun. The wind became cooler and brought Goosebumps to the bare skin on the three forms.

"Tails go back to Cream's place." Sonic said motioning his hand back toward him. The fox's ears pricked up in question.

"What? But Sonic you-"

"Just go back, now!" He interrupted Tails with a raised voice. His younger friend nodded, dropped the crutches he'd been carrying, and used his namesakes to fly back the way they'd come. Sonic hadn't taken his eyes off the red one ahead of him. He waited until the sounds of the air being whipped disappeared. Sonic wanted to walk back and grab his crutches for support; he could only hold himself for so long. But he wanted to show strength, there was no backing down now. So he breathed in and out.

"You first." He began. His voice was just as peaceful as before, but there seemed to be a hint of disappointment in it that the red one sensed. A lot different than what Knuckles expected.

"You're not afraid of me?" Knuckles asked uneasily. Sonic answered with a slight toss of his head side to side signaling the 'I don't know' phrase. The guardian sighed again. There was no turning back now, just muster up the confidence.

"Sonic. I am a gullible idiot. I-I just don't know what happened." His mind put on the brakes. But he _had_ to tell him everything. Or else things would fall apart.

_No turning back now Knuckles_

He thought to himself. Sonic opened his mouth to say something but was stopped by the echidna.

"I envy you Sonic. I envy every part of you. Your life is so easy. You're the fastest thing alive, and you have the freedom to come and go as you please. I've been stuck guarding a gem on a tiny island for my whole life. While bearing the fact that my whole clan died in front of me. You have all the friends in the world. You keep a cool head all of the time. I love being around you, but I hate it too because it reminds me of how much my life sucks." Tears formed in Knuckles' eyes.

"I've grown attached to my duties on the island. So when my jealousy was mixed with my idiocy, I just snapped and decided to try and make your life as miserable as mine. And I only made my life _more_ miserable. I'm sorry Sonic. So so sorry. I'll never forgive myself. But I ask of you your forgiveness. Please, I know what I've done, and I know now that my afterlife will now end in flames." He was on his knees at this point with tears freely streaming down his cheeks and on to the dirt. Sonic stood there trying to force down the lump in his throat. He was speechless. Knuckles heard an unsteady crumpling of rocks under feet getting louder. When he looked up he realized that Sonic had come over to him.

"Please Sonic I beg you for your forgiveness! I am unbearably sorry." The echidna grasped Sonic's shins which made his legs give out and he toppled over to the ground beside the red hysterical form. The newly fallen hedgehog quickly flipped himself to a sitting position and put a finger over the echidna's mouth.

"Knuckles, I can only forgive you, if you forgive yourself." He removed his finger from its spot over Knuckles' lips. The guardian was dumbfounded.

"How could you say something like that? Have you realized that I just ruined your life?" He shouted hysterically with tears still filling his eyes. Sonic looked at him with sad eyes.

"I've realized what you've done, yeah. But you haven't _ruined_ my life, you've just _changed_ it. I've stayed with you because I know that you have so much potential. You've got so much to live for. Not everybody gets to guard and have constant access to the most powerful gem in the universe! Heck, I should be the one envying you! I've got weight on my shoulders 'cause there are so many people that turn to me when trouble comes around. I'm nothing without you guys- my friends. You, me, and Tails are a team _and_ a family. We stick together through thick and thin. I've formed a bond with you guys that can't be broken, not even by someone with unimaginable strength." Knuckles dove into the arms of Sonic for a moment before parting. He wiped the tears from his eyes.

"I don't know how crazy you are, but I know that I couldn't ask for a better friend than you. I love ya Sonic." He stuck out his hand in which Sonic grabbed it. Something they always did a bros. Knuckles carefully helped his blue friend to his feet.

"So, does this mean that you forgive me?" He asked wearily. Sonic shrugged.

"I don't know, have you forgiven yourself yet?"

"Are we still friends?" The guardian asked again.

"It depends." The hedgehog simply replied. Sonic then spun himself around, and began his unsteady walking. Swiftly picking up his crutches on the way. He never looked back. Knuckles stood watching him limp his way to the house on the horizon.

"Oh Sonic," he began to himself "I'll never understand you, but that's why I'll always envy you…" The red one then turned himself around, and walked his own way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9_


	13. Happy

BalletGirl537: Wooooo! Wrapping up things now with Trust! But don't leave it yet because there's still much more to come. *This isn't the last chapter* Be sure to check out my other stories! Enjoy!

"I wonder what's going on with Sonic now?" Tails said wearily while looking at the door. It was hard to pull away from Sonic in such a dangerous situation, but it was _his_ fight.

"He'll be fine, I'm sure of it." Vanilla answered holding a stack of plates to put away. Tails nodded and sat in a near by plush chair fiddling with his translator device.

Meanwhile, Cream the rabbit was busy picking the flowers she thought her blue friend would like. A gust of wind came by and made her small group of daisies take flight.

"Oh no!" She said as she reached an arm up for them. Just then a shadow came over her. It was none other than Sonic, who had caught one of the small flowers for her.

"Better not let these get away." He said while handing it back to her with a wink.

"Thank you Mr. Sonic." Cream thanked him greatly. The hedgehog before her sighed and collapsed on his back into a bed of flowers. Both smiled. The sound of a door opening made the little rabbit girl look up and smile at her friend. Tails came walking through.

"Where's Sonic? I swear I heard him." Tails said scanning over the garden. His scanning stopped when he noticed a blue ear twitch in the flowers. Sonic opened his eyes when the sun was being blocked.

"Oh hey buddy! What brings you here?" He said in a laid back tone.

"Well I've only been waiting for you here for what seemed like hours." Tails retorted sarcastically.

"_But_ what was actually minutes!" Sonic laughed. The younger sat down next to his brother.

"So, how did everything go?" The fox asked shakily. Sonic looked back up to the sky.

"All is well Tails. Things are back to normal." He smiled over at his friend and gave him a thumbs up. The relaxing hedgehog sighed again.

"Wow, I never new emotions could be this draining." He said slowly holding back a yawn.

"Well you might as well get your rest now; I heard that Amy is coming around tonight!" Tails giggled while giving Sonic a friendly push.

"I don't even wanna think about it." Sonic said. He then rolled over onto his stomach slowly and a little painfully, and looked through the miniature forest of flower stems before him.

The next hour or so was spent just relaxing in the mid-day sunlight. The thin clouds that drifted lazily across the sky took some of the heat away and made a good environment for the breeze to come back and say hello. Cream sang an occasionally nursery rhyme when her little chao Cheese floated over to her. Once she felt accomplished with the nice bouquet she'd put together in her basket, she joined Sonic and Tails in their siesta, sprawled out across the flower bed of daisies, marigolds, bluebells, tulips and buttercups. The bees buzzed by in small numbers. Today was a perfect day. Just what all of them needed.

After about two hours of their perfect day the three of them sat inside enjoying glasses of lemonade made especially by the two rabbits. After heavily gulping down more than half, Sonic spoke up.

"Y'know, I just thought of something. How about we all go out for pizza tonight!" He said in an excited tone. Both Tails and Cream had a surprised expression.

"Wow, I'm surprised you wanna go that far! Station Square is a long way from here." Tails said rubbing his chin trying to calculate the distance.

"Well how far? Like, 10 miles? That's barely a 5 minute ride in the Tornado!" The hedgehog laughed in his sentence. Tails had completely forgotten about the Tornado.

"Oh yeah! Great idea Sonic. I guess it's settled then that we'll go for pizza tonight!" The fox stood and went for the phone to contact friends. He'd even contact Knuckles. Cream cheered and went to go freshen up and tell her mama.

"SONIIIIIIIIC!" A loud voice shrieked even louder than the young rabbit. None other than Amy Rose the hedgehog practically smashed into Sonic, strangling him in the process. She stopped short when remembering that her would-be boyfriend wasn't in a good state for bear hugs. But the pink girl was tearing with joy when noticing the bright green glow in his eyes.

"See Amy. Nothing brings me down!" He said defiantly with his hands in fists on his hips in a heroic pose. But it was foiled a bit with his crutches coming up with him by the wrist.

"Man, this place is packed." Tails said coming back from reserving a table at the famous pizza parlor rightfully named 'City-wide Pizza'. Sonic felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. He was surprised to see nothing but his almost lost friend, Knuckles.

"Knuckles you made it!" He said happily. Joining hands in a tight grip that was sort of like a high-five for a moment.

"Of course I made it! I'm not missing this! I haven't been away from the M.E. in forever!" He said happily. At least he was back to normal. The group that had gathered so far walked down a hall enjoying looking at pictures of the parlor's history. Sonic crossed paths with another male who had a smug face.

"At least you're smiling, huh?" He said with a bad tone. Sonic chuckled as he hobbled forward onto the next poster that had a paragraph on it about more history. The male then stuck out his foot which Sonic's crutch caught on sending him to the cold tile. After taking the initial shock and readying for the pain in his legs that was about to intensify, a lump formed in his throat that he fought to swallow. How could others be so cruel?

"If you get more hurt you'll just be a robot-boy." The male scoffed with a look of fake pity as he walked on. Tails ran to give his bro a hand and scowled at the one crude enough to do such a thing. Knuckles, who was further back behind Tails stuck his own foot out and tripped the evil male that did the same to his friend.

"Thanks Knux, you're a real friend." He said with a smile much softer than its normal cocky state. He was lucky to have such great friends; they kept him from falling into that deep hole that loomed behind him when something like this happened.

When they all walked back the Chaotix team greeted them with first happiness, and then a wave of worry when they caught first glimpse of Sonic after the whole fiasco. But the brave hedgehog waved it off and they went to the table. It was great to finally have things up-beat again. Surrounded by friends, and knowing he had team heroes by his side. Tails stood up with the posture of an orator, they all raised their drinks high, and gave a toast to Sonic.


	14. Tumult

The days passed by as swiftly as the dense summer wind. Everyday seemed brighter than the last. After copious amounts of pleas and begging on their knees Sonic finally agreed to go through physical therapy. But to his dismay he had to be woken up at the wee hours of the morning to make it to the health center in the hospital. He was very cooperative though and his progress became prominent. Every now and then he would make new attempts to walk without the aid of his special crutches, and even make [failed] attempts to walk without his leg braces. Such attempts didn't end in vain, but the hedgehog always absent mindedly clutched his friends hand and only made it about a yard. It was almost like magic how well he was coping with all of this. It seemed like Tails had at first felt as bad as he thought his friend would. Not often, but enough times Tails and other friends have gotten worried about Sonic, who sometimes stopped eating as much to save his spare frame; considering that he never ran anymore. But other than that, things could be considered 'normal'.

"Alright Sonic things are going swimmingly I just need you to answer a few questions." Said the male physician that Sonic and his friends had both taken to quite well. He lifted up his clip board and picked up his pencil.

"Do you have any allergies?"

"Nope. Unless water counts." Sonic rolled his eyes when the doctor chuckled.

"Have you ever had surgery before?"

"No."

"Do you feel that physical therapy is helping?"

"Sure…yeah we'll go with that." Sonic winked. "Are we gonna have to do any more of this, why can't you just assume that everything is what it should be?" Sonic rebuked.

"Just one more question please," the therapist said and the hedgehog nodded "Do you have insurance?" Sonic froze. He never even thought of _that_. Why would he need insurance anyway? He'd never even gotten hurt before, well, at least not _this_ badly. Sonic opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was an _ark_ before the ground boomed and started a tremulous constant shake. The ceiling shook dust off of it like a dog shaking water off of its soaked coat. Sonic grabbed his crutches and looked out of the window he sat next to. The skies were dark. But not with clouds, with ships. It was like a space armada was coming to attack. Both the hedgehog and the therapist stood motionless, trying to figure out what was going on, until he heard a benumbing laugh. That bedamned cackle that always irked him to the highest degree. He'd forgotten that the evil man had been left alone for months and that now he'd be back and stronger than ever. As an amazingly large ship passed over, the window was blown inside the room and the wind rushed in. Sonic covered his face for a split second. Then did the first thing that came to mind; he eased himself over the low window sill, leaving his crutches in the room. It was time for the confrontation.

"Stay inside, make sure everybody's safe!" He shouted over the wind and commotion to the therapist. The therapist nodded and gave him his valediction only a hand could show. Sonic took a deep breath and walked outward from the building and swung around on his heels. This ended in him taking another tumble and falling to his rear. The sight of something flying straight towards him made him start scooting backward frantically until he identified it. The tornado had landed straight in front of him.

"Sonic are you okay!" Tails asked as he propelled himself down and over to the still sitting hedgehog.

"Just fine. Your timing is great!" He replied. Tails helped him up and looked up to a large ship ahead. Sonic's look went from relief to immediate anger when he spotted an oh-so familiar red and round figure coming onto a deck on the underside of the ship.

"Eggman." Sonic said in a guttural tone. It made the little fox beside him shiver at that word. The doctor raised what looked like a microphone and grinned.

"Oh, so nice to see you Sonic. What a pleasant surprise!" His undiminished ego had obviously had time to blossom by the way he talked.

"I just hope you didn't leave any special belongings for the next few thousand miles, because I'm going to do a little demolishing here." He added in while gesturing his hand in a sweeping motion across the horizon.

"Why are you messing with this place? All of these people are innocent!" Tails yelled over the loud roar of the aircrafts.

"Only because I can! None of these people were going to make it anyway." Eggman shrugged. Sonic's hands turned into fists. This was going extremely far, and he knew now that it was his duty to stop what he let turn into this. World domination was definitely _not_ on his agenda today. And so he stood himself aloof, and stretched his arms out from his sides. He closed his eyes, and the seven worldly gems became incipient around him. Tails jumped back. Was Sonic doing what he thought he was doing? The emeralds circled around him for some time. A blinding flash of light engulfed the area.


	15. Welcome Back

Tails opened his eyes against the bright light that blinded all within a ten mile radius. The golden light had faded and was now a fiery aura around his once blue friend. He was now soaring up into the air, leaving a trail of that fiery energy behind him. The fox reached his hand out frantically to his friend. But it was too late; Sonic was dead set on stopping his forever nemesis. And so Tails backed up a little, and kept a sharp eye on the now tiny golden dot in the sky.

"Be careful Sonic." The young fox said to himself.

Upon noticing Sonic's powerful transformation, Eggman hurriedly slipped back into his enormous ship and into the control room. He didn't bother sitting back into his chair, but made his fingers fly across the keyboard, trying to set new coordinates to get away. _Knock knock_. The sound of light knocking on the glass window in the control room startled the frantic scientist. The round man looked up, and of course it was none other than his arch nemesis. Looking stronger and more battle ready than ever.

"Yo Eggman. That was a pretty funny trick you pulled with me and Knuckles there!" Sonic started with a smirk. Eggman only uttered out a small 'welp'.

"Now it's _my_ turn to do a little magic!" Sonic rocketed upward so he had a view of the whole armada. He surrounded himself in a golden ball of energy, and shot himself straight through the gigantic ship. After a few seconds delay, it exploded in multiple places, and then disintegrated. By then the super formed hedgehog had already destroyed the entire armada, and the sky itself appeared to be exploding. Over a few feet where Sonic was placed safely out of the explosion's impact, he rubbed under his nose and smiled. But he felt faint after using so much power. The golden energy that coated him melted off and he went hurdling back to the earth.

His eyes opened to the blurry sight of the lumps of his feet again. With weak turning of his head he saw paintings on the walls and a door. Once he sat himself up he realized that he was back in Cream and Vanilla's house. His hand made its way to the right side of his head and rubbed it for a moment to wake himself up. He yawned, and decided to make his way outside. What happened anyway? When he looked down, the bandages on his legs were still intact, so nothing must've happened. He worked steadily to get his braces on and in a jiffy was standing with crutches in hand. He stretched his muscles taut for a moment. The recently awoken hedgehog began walking, but realized something different. His crutches were more of a bother than a big help. And, why was he standing perfectly up straight. The crutches _and_ leg braces went flying into the corner of the room. He was standing up straight, no pain, no wobbling, and no frustration. His bandages were flown off too, and no deep gashes and no scars were left. Sonic stood wide eyed for a moment, and then remembered learning something. When he went super, as long as his powers were used correctly, once no longer transformed he would return in peak physical form. He laughed out of insanity for a moment, and then went running down the hall and flew down the stairs.

"Guys! Guys! Everyone! Hey!" Sonic shouted down the staircase. Once in the kitchen his speech was completely inaudible considering how excited and astounded he was.

"Sonic, you're…you're standing? Upright?" Tails stuttered getting out of his chair. Sonic nodded vigorously.

"Don't you remember? Once I go super I can return back in perfect health!"

"Wow, you didn't remember that the first day you came home?" Tails teased with his hands on his hips. Sonic rolled his eyes and grabbed his friend's hand.

"C'mon!" He ran out the door and out into the fresh afternoon air. Tails caught himself on his heels for a moment.

"Sonic, can I ask you something?" He said quietly.

"Shoot!" The hedgehog answered once he stopped on the dirt road.

"Why did you forgive Knuckles?" At this question, Sonic sighed and thought for a moment.

"Knuckles is a stubborn punk! But even the best of friends bicker now and then. You guys are my family and I can't let any of Eggman's schemes come between that." He ruffled the fur on Tails' head for a moment. The fox nodded in approval and took the lead in running over to the Tornado.

"Race ya!" He said while starting up the plane. His brother smiled, and they both took off.

Sonic felt alive. He was finally reunited with his life. With his identity. The wind welcomed his return by whipping by his face and making way for his bullet like body. Him, running by the purple plane that hummed in the clouds, was what he missed. Just living life to the fullest, living life to the fastest. He pushed his arms closer to his body, and sped off onto the horizon in an instant. The loudest boom swept across the land. A strong wave of wind hit the Tornado with amazing force. Tails smiled a big smile. _That_ was music to his ears. He knew that his friend was doing what he did best, finally. The boom was heard miles away, on Angel Island. Knuckles lifted his head and knew that things had gone back to normal. His biggest mistake had been corrected, and he'd learned from it hugely. Amy Rose jumped up as the boom echoed by her humble little home. The Chaotix stood from their investigation to hear the noise. Big and his frog friend stopped his reeling on the fishing pole at the unearthly clap. Almost everyone everywhere heard the sweet sound of the Sonic boom. They all knew that nothing could stop the blue hero. And Sonic the Hedgehog would keep running forever more, no matter what. _Just living life to the fullest, living life to the fastest._


End file.
